Recruiting: Tarell Brown Talks About Texas

Stacey Dean

10/25/2002

Lockdown corners are at the top of the list for virtually every defensive coordinator in the country. Finding these rare talents may not be extremely difficult, but signing a premier cover corner certainly is.

Tarell Brown, a 5-11, 185-pound CB/RB prospect from Mesquite North Mesquite definitely fits the bill. His 37" vertical leap and 4.28 (forty time) are just a couple of reasons he's being recruited by teams such as, FSU, Texas, Ohio State, A&M and Notre Dame. Tarell has narrowed his choices to those same five schools.

When asked for a leader, he said, "It's between those schools and will come down to my last four 'officials'."

Brown's only official so far has been to Ohio State (he has the Ags scheduled for Nov. 8), which he visited in late September. "I had a nice time and it was the first time I had ever been to Ohio," Brown said. "It was a great experience and I felt comfortable with the coaching staff. Troy Smith, a freshman QB, was my guide and (TE) coach Conley is the guy recruiting me."

As far as Texas fans are concerned, Brown is being recruited by Texas' recruiting coordinator/defensive ends coach Hardee McCrary, and the state's top corner prospect doesn't yet have his Forty Acres official visit scheduled. He said he is trying to fit his visits in when possible and wants to complete the recruiting process by late December or early January.

Longhorn fans are accustomed to hearing recruits gushing over the truthfulness and sincerity of Mack Brown and Tarell Brown is no different. "Mack Brown is one of the best coaches you could ever meet," the nation's fifth-ranked high school corner told IT. "I mean, the minute you hear him talk, you like him. And he treats you like a man, not a high school kid. He tells you the truth and explains what you need to be working on and that's what I like about him."

What are Brown's thoughts on the Longhorn team? "Texas is full of great players," he said. "I think in the future, Texas is going to be unreal, unstoppable. They have Vince Young at quarterback and one of my former teammates, Aaron Harris. He's already playing special teams as a true freshman and my homeboy (Edorian McCullough) is playing the dime back as a freshman."

Sounds like he follows Texas a little. "Well, I was able to see one of their games against U of H," said Brown. "It was a good game for them. Texas plays real hard. And they're all going for one goal. You can tell they play with a lot of passion and that's what is really catching my eye."

Brown is running the ball especially well (1,200-plus yards in seven games with a 12 yard per carry average), but his college future still looks to be at defensive back. "(The Texas coaches) asked me what position I saw myself playing," he said. "I told them I saw myself as a cornerback."

In addition to playing a lot of tailback for North Mesquite, Brown has been receiving minutes at corner as well. "My last game, Coach had me playing both positions the entire game. It just depends going into each game where and how much I'll play."

Asked what attributes make him one of the top prospects in the nation, Brown said: "My speed and passion for the game. I like to challenge myself whether at running back or at cornerback. I love making plays and you can't be waiting for plays to make, you have to go and make the plays. While some players dread going to practice, I don't. I guess, it's just my love for the game and it takes a lot of heart to be special."

Stacey Dean covered recruiting in the state of Texas for Horns Illustrated before joining Inside Texas. His prospect updates will appear frequently on InsideTexas.com.